Island



(No Model.)

' F. A. SMITH, Jr.

v BUTTON FASTENER. N0.294,51'7.' I Patent ed'Mar. 4,1884.-

N PETERS. Pbom-mho n mr. wnhinmn. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

FRANKLIN A. SMITH, JR, on PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

BUTTON-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 294,517,

' Application filed January 16, 1884. (No model.)

To all 1072,0712 it 11mg concern Be it known that I, FRANKLIN A. SMITH,Jr., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Providence, inthe county of'Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented anImprovement in Button-Fasteners, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings,-is aspecification-likeletters on the drawings representing'like parts.

This invention relates to button-fasteners, preferably to that classknown as prong fasteners, which consist, usually, of a plate or tableand several prongs integral therewith, the said fasteners being adaptedto carry a button and be secured to a shoe or other arti-- cle by meansof the prongs, which are caused to penetrate and be clinched to thematerial to secure the button.

In button-fasteners of the class mentioned the button is carried by oneof the prongs,

. (usually designated the button-prong) which is inserted into theshank-eye of the button, so that the shank encircles the button-prongnear its heel, .and said button-q prong has heretofore been swaged orpartially bent upon itself, to form'a partial loop or staple at itsheel, to provide space between the prong and material to which thefastener is se cured, to permit free movement of the buttonshank betweensaid parts. In such fasteners, when in use, the strain is mostly exertedupon the button-prong, which, by reason of the bend given thereto toform the staple, is the weakest portion of the fastener. The sharp bendimparted to the button-prong tends to strain or injure the metal thereofat its heel, and it is not uncommon for the fasteners to break at thatpoint, thusrenderingthem useless, and, because of the prongs having beenclinched to the leather or other material, making it a difficult task toremove such useless parts and substitute a new fastener therefor.Further, not only does the staple so formed tend to cut and fray thestitching or edge of the material at the button-holes in the shoe orother article, but more metal is required than otherwise, and the costof manufacture is materially increased.

. tiallya My invention has for its objects to obviate the defects hereinmentioned and hold the but ton more closely to the fabric, and toprovide a button-fastener which shall present to view at theoutersurface of the material a smooth flat or imperforate table orplate.

To these ends my invention consists, primarily, of a button-fastenerhaving substanplate or table with one or more prongs or holding-arms atopposite sides of said table, and bent at or about at right anglesthereto, with one of said prongs having an unbent portion contiguous toand in the horizontal plane of the table, and adapted to hold a shankbutton, substantially as hereinafter described, and particularly pointedout in the claim.

Figure 1 shows in perspective-a button held to a piece of leather orother material by my improved button-fastener. Fig. 2 is a plan of apiece of sheet metal from which a button-fast ener blank has been out.Fig. 3 is a perspective "lQW. of my improved button-fastener.

Fig. 4 is a plan of the same, and Fig. '5 shows a modification of myfastener.

In the present instance my improved buttonfastener consists of the tablea and the prongs b, projecting from one side, and the button-carryingprong b, projecting from the other side thereof, the whole formed from ablank cut, as shown in Fig. 2, from sheet metal, the prongs of saidblank being bent at right angles to the'tablea, as shown. Thebuttonprong is bent at a point. sufficiently distant from its. heel orjunction with the table a to leave an unbent strip or portion, 0, ofsaid prong disposed in the same plane as the table, which unbent stripor portion 0 is encircled by the shank of a button, which is passedthereon before the button is secured to the material by the penetrationand clinching of the prongs to said material, as clearly shown inFig. 1. Thus it will be noticed that the shank of the buttonencircles'the button-prong" the table a, and

between the bend therein and but one bend is given to all blow of thedie or former. ity of the material to which the button is securedpermits the fastener to be firmly secured thereto, notwithstanding thewire shank is interposed between the material and the under side of thefastener, and it also permits sufficient movement of the button,whichmovethe prongs by one 'mentis very slight; The button is brought Theyielding qual-' closer to the fabric and is held more firmly inposition, and has not that lax movement and play incident to fastenershaving a partial loop or staple formed near the heel of the buttonprong.A smooth flat or imperforate table is presented to viewgvhieh will notcut or fray the stitching or edge of the material at the hutton-hole.

Fig. 5 shows a modification of my fastener, the dotted lines indicatingthe points of bend of the several prongs and the longest prong adaptedto carry a shank-lmtton.

XV hat I claim is- A sheet-metal lmtton-I'astener consisting of A.SMITH, JR.

